Taste is pleasant, surprisingly. Peaches do not dominate the taste as they do the smell. Spices are subtle. Malts are subtle. Hops are very subtle. Peaches are subtle. Nothing stands out, which is probably just as well.

Mouth is moderate fizzy, creating a nice cream finish.

I'm usually not a fan of Holiday spiced ales. They are mostly over the top with artificial flavors; however, this one dispite its weird smell is quite nice. I could do a couple of these during the holidays or any other days. It would be nice with a slice of pecan pie. Which reminds me....I did't even notice the pecans! (719 characters)

Poured a Clear fizzy amber color with a creamy off white head and good lacing. Smells of artificial peaches, nutty, bready. Taste is about as it smells, Huge peach flavor but not in a good way. It taste way too artificial and sweet. Light to medium oily body. One is definably enough to drink in one sitting. I don't believe I will drink this again to tell you the truth. (371 characters)

Aroma: Fresh peach notes are very, very prominent, to the exclusion of all else, overwhelming any malt characteristics, or pecans.

Taste: Opens with toasted malts, as the taste progresses, a moderately bitter, lingering herbal hop flavor. Later in the taste, some nut notes appear, presumably the pecans, and a prominent peach skin note. The peaches, with the bitter characteristic of the skins, blend harmoniously with the hops, and bring the taste to a graceful close.

Mouth feel: Smooth and full, fairly soft.

Drinkability/notes: I give Shiner high marks for using native Texas ingredients, the peaches and pecans, in an original way. However, the original Shiner Dunkelweizen was an excellent beer, and Holiday Cheer is certainly not its equal. If this beer is to be offered again, more emphasis on the pecans, as with 512 Brewing superb Pecan Porter, would be welcome, with the peaches taking on a lesser role. Its certainly not bad, but could be better.

Presentation: Packaged in a twelve-ounce brown glass long neck bottle with a twist-off crown, served in a standard pint tap glass. (1,231 characters)

Pours from the bottle a deep blend of garnet and brown with a short-lived finger of brown head. Peach dominates the aroma, much like a can of fruit cocktail, but it's not a unpleasant smell. The amount of peachiness in the nose is a good indicator of what's to come in the taste. The peach flavors, however, aren't as pleasant, and I found the taste a little astringent. The pecans the label mentions do come out at last in the finish, however, and are a nice touch. A slightly hoppy finish combined with the peach flavor makes for a below average mouthfeel and drinkability, in my opinion.

An interesting beer and not bad.... I'm glad to have Shiner trying offerings like this, and I think I'd drink a few again next winter. (726 characters)

Taste: Bready, toasty malts with a light sweetness. There's the anticipated peach flavor, though, thankfully, it doesn't overwhelm everything else like it did in the nose. Vague nuttiness. No more than a light hop bitterness. Drying, peachy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: I don't get it. The union of peaches and pecans alongside a dunkelweizen (which is as much a proper dunkelweizen as Shiner Bock is a bock) is totally lost on me. This just isn't what I'm looking for in a fruit beer, winter beer, or dunkelweizen. (717 characters)

Lucent reddish orange with bright orange trim. It's hard to be impressed by any beer that uses artificial caramel color (although maybe other breweries just don't admit it). The khaki colored cap looks decent enough, but doesn't do a very a good job of decorating the glass.

Texas peaches and roasted pecans are odd choices of ingredients to add to a holiday ale. That design decision could either succeed admirably or fail miserably. The aroma is pretty much wall-to-wall peachiness and smells nothing like a dunkelweizen. It's a good, natural scent (if you like peaches), but it makes the beer too one-dimensional.

The flavor isn't quite as fruit-dominant, making Holiday Cheer taste more like the peachy dunkelweizen the brewers were aiming for. Some might disagree, but this combination of dark wheat and fruit isn't one that floats my boat. About half as much peachiness would have been better.

It isn't easy to appreciate the roasted pecans. The beer is no more nutty (it's actually less nutty) than most brown ales. Again, peaches are too prominent, which tends to steamroll over any complexities that might have been present. A good sweet-bitter balance keeps it reasonably drinkable... if you enjoy the flavor. 22 IBUs contribute a minor nip on the finish.

Considering the 5.4% ABV, the mouthfeel isn't too bad. It's light without being watery and stops well short of being too abundantly bubbled. Call me crazy, but a holiday beer should be bulkier than this. Then again, Texas doesn't have a *real* winter.

Shiner Holiday Cheer is a unique beer that gets points for originality. On the other hand, only peachophiles will love it. Since I'm not one, I don't. Here's hoping the boys at Spoetzl come up with something completely different this coming holiday season. (1,779 characters)

T: I sure wish it tasted more like it smelled. The smell is deceiving of what is the come from the taste. I expected more peach, pecan, and sweetness, but instead was greeted by too many hops, with mild sweetness in the background that didn't blend well with the hops.

M: Pretty standard for a Shiner beer. Low carbonation, pretty slick and thin on the mouth. Needed to be thicker in my opinion.

D: I wouldn't want more than one of these at a time, but my wife and I dispatched of a 12 pack in about 3 weeks.

Overall I loved the smell of this beer, but the taste did not match it. For me that killed the experience a little bit. If they added some sugar to increase sweetness and found a way to make that nutty pecan smell come through in the taste this beer would be downright awesome. (1,111 characters)

Pours a clear, dark amber color. 3/4 inch head of a pale tan color. Great retention and good lacing. Smells of fruit (peaches), tart malt, some caramel, a hint of all spice, and slight alcohol. Fits the style of a Dunkelweizen. Mouth feel is smooth and crisp with a high carbonation level. Tastes of peaches and earthy malt up front. A strong dryness is present after the initial sip. A slight hop background is barely noticeable and a strong peach/biscuit flavor dominates the finish. Overall, not a very good Dunkelweizen. I would not recommend this brew unless you're trying to find a decent peach flavored beer. (615 characters)

The color is a nice deep amber with great initial effervescence and three fingers worth of foamy tan head. It's surprisingly clear for the style, but has some ok lacing.

Smells like fresh peaches with hints of bubblegum and vanilla.

Medium mouthfeel and smooth with a malty sweetness in the front and some balancing hop bitterness in the back. There is some bite from the carbonation and a little punch from the alcohol. I can't really decide if the flavor is to style or not, but it is pleasing. (499 characters)

Clear caramel brown in color with a finger sized head that falls pretty quickly but leaves a lot of sticky suds behind.Smells like I just sliced into a fresh peach. Yummy. I can't even get a hint of the pecan though.Wonderful peach flavor that gives this beer a pleasent sweetness. I'm a bit suprised b/c I usually don't like the fruity sweet type beers. But this is yummy. There's a nuttiness middle to end that I asume is from the pecans. The nutty flavors get stronger as the beer warms. Nice dry finish.Medium bodied and crisp.Easy to finish but I wouldn't go as far to call it a session beer. It's a nice beer to have when you want something tasty that's different.Good beer unlike anything that I've had. (763 characters)

This holiday beer is brewed with peaches and pecans, an interesting combination. Pours a clear, dark, copper color. A thick, light brown head fades to a sudsy film leaving sheets of lace. Peaches dominate aroma masking most others. The combine with the light maltiness to give a candied impression. There might be slight notes of pecan, but it's hard to tell if that's the label planting things in my head.

Carmel malts, and a definite pecan nuttiness upfront. The sweet fruitiness of the peaches appears in the center along with a bit of spiciness. The finish is mildly bitter, especially in the aftertaste, which is reminiscent of the dryness of pecan husks. Highly carbonated, medium-bodied with a pleasing husky dryness in the finish.

A little sweet overall, but definitely a flavorful and interesting beer. The odd combination of pecans and peaches in a beer really works here. (884 characters)

The pour is light brown with 1/2 inch of white head that leaves quickly. There is little lacing.

The nose is largely peaches mixed with some citrusy notes and just a hint of the pecans. The taste is also peaches with the citrus, but the nuts come out more. There is also a hint of bready flavour. There is a semi-dry finish.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Drinkability is okay, but the peaches are kind of strong.

While it seems to be just what Spoetzl was going for, it's not a beer for me. I guess I'm not a big fan of peaches in beer. (625 characters)

The aroma on this beer is absolutely wonderful. The peaches really shine through and smell fresh and bright. A bit of nutty maltiness is detectable, but not sure I can actually pick out any pecan aroma.

Mmmmm, delicious. Nutty sweet malts come out to play a bit more in the flavor with the peaches still being highly prominent. Pecan flavor is definitely noticeable if you are looking for it. Tangy, sweet, tart and crisp are all good descriptors here.

This is a love it or hate it kind of beer. I am not a huge Shiner fan, but I really dig this beer. They really stepped out of their comfort zone with this one, and I could not be happier they did so. An odd choice for a holiday beer? Yes. But is it delicious? Hell yea, damn near chuggable. I freaking went through over a case of this and hope they release it again next year. Important to note that it does not age well, as it really loses the peachy brightness of the beer. (1,150 characters)

Clear red brown, very dense light tan head. Possible tiny reindeer tracks in the head, but I can't be sure. Smell is VERY fruity. Peaches, oranges, lemons, bananas, cherries. And peaches. I'm serious, this smells like a soothie. Taste follows suit, very sweet, with oranges and vanilla. It tastes like one of those orange cream candies. Interesting. I would have a VERY hard time classing this. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. Drinkability is excellent. You could just suck these down all Christmas eve. Until you went glucose intolerant. To sum it up...I have little to no idea what to make of this. (604 characters)

Presentation: 12 oz longneck, similar vintage look that the other Shiner logos have. No date - I thought it was strange that this just showed up on the shelves at some of my local spots .. seems a bit late for a holiday appearance.

Appearance: Reddish brown and clear, nice head.

Smell: Even before getting my nose near the glass there is a big hit of sweet nutty aroma. Getting closer there is a sweet peach flavor - like peach jam.

Taste: I guess this is a dunkelweizen in the sense that there is wheat in it, and its dark - but none of the flavors match that. It should probably be classified as a fruit beer because the peach definitely dominates in my mind.

Overall impression: Its different, but overall not all that interesting. That being said there is nothing overtly bad about it, and I'm sure I'll have no trouble finishing the six pack. (854 characters)

Thanks to Deuane for picking me up a few bottles of this while out in State College. This has to be one of the coolest, retro looking bottle of beer that I've ever come across, right down to the cap. Seems like it jumped out of a time machine from the 50's. Cheers to the graphic artist(s) that designed the artwork for this beer. Poured into my nonic pint glass a clear deep brown amber color reminiscent of cream soda with barely a finger of off white foam. Smells of toasted grain and fresh sweet peaches. Tastes of creamy caramel malt, fresh peaches, and a pleasant nutty bitterness. Medium in both body and carbonation. A very tasty and different take on a holiday beer. Well done. (686 characters)

pours a clear amber body with a billowy-bubbly lightly brown head. the smell is very interesting. it's very berry like, fruity, fruit punch. with a hint of saaz hops i think, graipfruit / pine smell. Taste is interesting. lots of different fruits going on, peachy for sure. the dominant flavor is the grapefruit / pine hops. it could use a little for malt up front to match the hops. mouth feel is light a carbonated. drinkability is average, maybe not a session beer but you could do a sixpack in one night. this might be my favorite xmass beer because it's not super high alcohol, not super heavy, and not heavily spiced. (623 characters)

An orange/ yellow color with a slight white head. The peach comes right to the front with added smells of apricot and cherry. Very refreshing in taste with the peach being a subtle flavor that blends well. An easy drinking beer with a nice balance of flavor. I like this beer. Simple but good. (293 characters)

From deep in the heart of Texas, from Shiner where winter means you might have to put on your windbreaker from time to time, comes a pretty solid winter warmer style brew.

Looked good in my shaker glass with a nice mahogany color and a thick, fluffy, light brown head. A little carmel and nutty aroma on the nose. Taste is similar, with a carmel malt and nutty flavor, which is nicely balanced by the hops. If anything, this was a little thin and watery, but a very drinkable brew.

Solid holiday beer from a place you wouldn't necessarily expect it from. (556 characters)

This beer pours dark and brown, with some dark burgundy hues throughout. It's a bit lacking on the 'weizen' part as it's not cloudy, but rather as clear as a rich brown beer can be. The head is thinnish and doesn't have much retention, but it wasn't an aggressive pour.

It's got an amazingly strong smell of peaches. I've not associated peaches with the holidays, nor with a dunkelweizen, but this is a neat change of pace. Nothing else is prevalent.

There's not much happening until the swallow, where the peach really makes its presence known. Immediately after that, subtle notes from the pecans can be found. Only then can any note of hops be noticed.

Despite the color, it's light bodied and has a loose feeling on the palate. The bottle says it's an ale, but it feels more like a lager if that makes sense.

It's a better than average beer, but not great, or even good. It's a nice change of pace from usual beers and is an easy drinker. (947 characters)

Pours an amber/ruby color with a one finger head that stays for a while.

Smell is not appealing at all. It smells like that gummy peach ring candy you can buy at any convenience store. Totally artificial and a bit sickly. Taste is a bit of maltiness with a ton of fake peach sweetness and a disgusting bitter metallic finish. Ugh.

Mouthfeel is thin, and I wouldn't drink this again if I had to. (396 characters)